Jehovah Lives in Brooklyn

Get eBook

Synopsis

The book Jehovah Lives in Brooklyn: Jehovah's Witnesses as a Model of Fundamentalism describes some of the odd beliefs of this cult, and also gives a psychosocial overview of its place in society, its meaning, and its results. It discusses the effects of cult-psychology on otherwise well-adjusted minds, and shows why even intelligent people can be vulnerable. A brief outline of the book is as follows:

Author's Preface: Alien Landscapes, Secret Societies

The "alien world-view" of the cult is examined, and discussion explains the view that "alienation" is a plus, a good thing. The cult appeals largely to the distraught, the young, minorities, and others who might be already confused and alienated. These unhappy people are special "target groups" for cult-conversion. The separation of members from usual society is a psychological tool used to cause members to identify with the inner cult-society, which is isolated and insulated from general society, and comes to see all outsiders as bad, ignorant, inferior, or unworthy.

***

Chapter 1/ We Are Not Everyday People: Hatred of the "Satanic" World

People need to feel special and superior, and this need is abused by drawing people into a world-hating and tightly-knit group who see themselves as the "chosen ones." Being "godly" makes the rest of the world, by contrast, appear "Satanic" or evil. "Everyone who is really good has already joined our group, or will soon do so. So, anyone who does not join is bad."

The world is unclean because it is ruled by Satan, who has a plethora of "evil spirits" who permeate every institution and mind outside the cult. This makes outsiders dangerous, since nothing is more dangerous than a demon, who might attack and even possess you. So, a gigantic, relentless fear of the world and of all non-members is the result.

***

Chapter 3/ Conversion and the Destructive Process of Personality Dismantling

Before a person can be truly "converted," her personality must be destroyed, dismantled, or erased. A number of seriously harmful techniques are used to "remold" a normal person into a cult-member, who will not only fight, but will die, for her religion. The cult then becomes the supreme good, if not the only good. Its teachings are holy and unquestionable.

***

Chapter 4/ Satan, Satan Everywhere: A Devil of a Story

To make sure that the member avoids all normal social pursuits, and all non-members as potential friends, she is terrified by warnings that Satan is interested in personally attacking and destroying her and her faith. The Lord of darkness will use apparently "innocent" things and people to do this; he is subtle, invisible, and experienced. One is never to assume that he is absent.

***

Chapter 5/ A "One of a Kind" Religion: Beliefs Designed to make JW's Feel Special

Some beliefs have nothing to do with religion or spirituality, but are embraced and adopted simply so that JW's can feel "special." These concepts make them feel different and unique. This appeals mainly to people who do not really stand out due to intelligence, passion, or giftedness. This appeals strongly to people who feel that they are personally ordinary or even worthless, and serves as "compensation" for low self-esteem. Housewives, farmers, and factory-workers become the "only enlightened" people, and the "saviors of the world."

***

Chapter 6/ You and Me Against the World

As the new member begins increasingly to be enfolded within the group, group-cohesion is increased until she feels that she could not function, or even survive with hope and meaning, outside the group. Group-dependence is very strongly created and repeatedly reinforced, until the person feels that her life would literally be worthless outside the group, in the "dangerous and demonic" world outside. As the self gradually disappears into the all-important group, self-love is replaced incrementally, subtly, with group-loyalty.

***

Chapter 7/ Through Thick and Thin: Lemmings United

Group-members are presented as the only real, constant "friends," the very best in the world. Their golden promise of friendship is what every human heart longs and yearns for. But the price is extremely high: You must convert. You must give up all hope of ever being allowed to think independently. You must become a "lemming," or blind follower. If you are in any way even microscopically judged to have "misbehaved," the "friendship" is immediately withdrawn. This is an effective and powerful psychological control-tool.

***

Chapter 8/ Duplicity and Double-talk: the "Truth" Made Unclear

JW's change their definition of "truth." It is whatever doctrine or dogma is officially approved by the leaders in Brooklyn. So, "truth" is very liquid, changing from day to day and year to year. To keep up with the "latest truth" you must continually assimilate "new truths." If you leave the Organization, you "fall out of the truth." There is no hope outside the Org, no joy, no peace, no love. It is all "Satan's world," and he "walks like a roaring lion," seeking to devour you, and there is no protection but the Org.

***

Chapter 9/ False Prophecies of the "End" and the Expulsion of High-quality People

JW's have made two glaring errors in the structure of their Org: They have made the serious mistake of predicting the "end" of civilization for specific years. This is dangerous, because it can so easily be reality-tested: Simply wait for that year to come. The "end" never does. The other error is that they expel (disfellowship) the best and brightest minds from the group, because these have committed the "sin" of independent thinking. This "brain drain" leaves as loyal JW's only those with the lowest IQ's, and thus, is a form of self-sabotage. Every time a high-quality person is expelled, the entire Org grows weaker.

***

Chapter 10/ Where Is the Love?

A long time ago, JW's enjoyed a sense of family. People really seemed to love one another. But that love has long since died away. Tens of thousands leave the group every year because they say that they find no love in the group. Cult-literature talks about Christian "love," and thus, pours salt into the wound. Since there is no more fundamental human need than that for love, the Org will continue to cripple itself as long as this basic emotion is down-played, dismissed, or ignored.

***

Chapter 11/ "Escape from Freedom": God's Government and the Desperate Longing for the End of Civilization

JW's are taught that the end of civilization is a good and desirable event. Like other fundamentalists, they would have welcomed even nuclear war. That, they are told, would have led to the final battle, Armageddon. After that war, they are told, "God's government" will take over the earth. Unlike most scholars and students, who know that "the kingdom of God is within you," the cult insists that this "kingdom" is a literal government, ruled by the iron hand of the governing body in Brooklyn. Unqualified in the extreme, these arrogant but untrained non-professionals plan to take over the world.

***

Chapter 12/ The Elder Catastrophe: A Spiritual Hurricane

JW's used to be ruled democratically, by vote. Then some bright man got the idea that it would be